Tiki has a lot of features and covers a wide range of use cases. Because of this, it is very difficult to pick sensible defaults which are ideal "out of the box" for everyone. Profiles solve this problem by storing and sharing different configurations, feature sets, permissions schemes and pre-made examples of some of the more complicated features. This addresses the The Paradox of Choice.

Watch Marc introduce profiles at TikiFest Portugal 2008

Benefits

Profiles offer the following benefits to Tiki:

Managed in wiki pages (collaborative, version history, etc.)

Can be used not only on a fresh install of a Tiki, but also on an existing instance.

Apply one or many, even if they overlap (the last one applied wins if there are any conflicts)

Profiles can include other profiles (several small profiles making a large one)

Not just for settings, but also for data

Since there is no extra code, can be designed for very specific, long tail uses or Vertical Markets. We can have hundreds of profiles for an out-of-the-box experience, with a single code-base!

How it Works

Each profile is a configuration patch that can be applied on top of any Tiki instance. Profiles will allow to change configurations in a Tiki instance and create various objects. As of now, the most important object types are available and more will be added as needed.

Obtaining Profiles

Profiles are stored in repositories on the Internet. Tiki comes with one repository registered for you and you can add more as you like. Profiles are applied directly from the repositories; you simply browse the profiles available at each repository and apply the ones you want.

Applying Profiles

Profiles can be (and typically are) applied during the initial installation and configuration of Tiki as shown here: Starting in Tiki4, the interface has been improved and streamlined. No more profiles at install time, but a nicer profile manager anytime :-)

Profiles can also be applied at any time after Tiki is installed by following these steps:

Log into Tiki as an administrator

Open the Administration page (click the "Admin Home" link in the menu)

Click on the Profiles link

Show profiles available in the registered repositories by clicking List. You can filter the list of profiles by name, type and repository if you like.

Click on the name of the profile you want to apply. Details about that profile will be obtained from the repository and displayed for your review.

Click the Apply Now button

Additional Information

These wiki pages contain additional information about creating and using profiles: